Diversion material is a particulate material used during wellbore treatment operations to temporarily seal a fluid passage, such as a fracture in a wellbore operation. In particular, diversion material may be conveyed downhole and placed against or within a fluid passage to create a seal against the fluid passage. The diversion material is selected to be slightly soluble in wellbore conditions such that with residence time downhole, the seal created by the diversion material solubilizes to reopen the fluid passage. The solubilized diversion material can then be produced back. Diversion material is sometimes referred to as diverter, a bridging agent, a temporary degradable particulate or solid production chemical.
Diversion material is entrained in wellbore treatment fluids and it is intended to be forced into wellbore fractures to prevent fluid loss to that area of the wellbore. Diversion material is available in different particle sizes and shapes, often categorized by mesh size. Diversion material is also available with different degradation properties based to residence time and wellbore conditions temperature.
Diversion material testing is difficult and oftentimes the testing is done directly in the wellbore. In-wellbore testing is not ideal, as it is less difficult to validate performance, technology and treatment plans.